Dr Jampolis advised CNN readers to reduce consumption of farmed salmon to once a week, advise which the BC Salmon Association say is based on outdated and incorrect data.

The Association highlights a recent Canadian study by Danielle Van Schaick, BASC, RD, which states that the consumption of two-three servings weekly of farmed salmon, wild salmon, or rainbow trout, would provide a daily averaged DHA intake of at least 300 mg/day during pregnancy, and would not approach the tolerance levels for mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, or dioxins and furans as set by Health Canada, the NRC (US), or the World Health Organisation.

BC salmon farmers operate under stringent conditions that protect the marine environment. Farms are carefully sited and monitored to reduce any environmental impact. The impact of fish feces and waste feed on the ocean floor is strictly managed and the environmental footprint from a salmon farm is limited to a very small area. All growing sites are assessed during each production cycle and if impacts are present 30 meters from the net pens the site must be left empty or fallow until the ocean floor has returned to normal. Similar to crop rotation in land agriculture the practice of fallowing sites allows the ocean floor to rest and naturally recover.

"Most of us who work in the salmon farming industry also live in BC's coastal communities and it is important to all of us to protect what we see as an integral part of BC's character: our wild salmon population," says BC Salmon spokesperson Mary Ellen Walling.

"We recognise the concern about declining wild salmon populations in BC, which is why we support a range of salmon enhancement projects and education initiatives.

"Salmon farming techniques grew out of those used for salmonid enhancement in wild stocks. Unlike hatcheries, which release the salmon for the portion of their life cycle, salmon farms around the world found ways to retain the fish to harvest size. But salmon farmers have never forgotten their roots.

“As British Columbians, especially British Columbians who live and work on the coast, we care about the wild salmon - it's part of our heritage. Fundamentally, it's about raising healthy fish. We have a passion for seeing them grow, we have shared technology, shared feeds, shared approaches to fish health.”

British Columbia salmon farmers are committed to making both economic and environmentally responsible choices. We encourage you to visit our website for more information: www.salmonfarmers.org, and if you are ever in the Vancouver Island region, we would also encourage you to contact us and come out on a farm tour, we offer them weekly open to the general public from June to September every year.